Google has updated the Chrome mobile app so that you can preview a webpage before clicking on a link.
As first spotted by 9to5Google, the feature, which appears to have rolled via an update to version 89 of the browser, works whenever you long-pressing on a link. You can then tap a new “Preview page” option (found between the “Open in incognito tab” and “Copy link address” options), which will load a pop-up version of the webpage you’re thinking about accessing.
The preview shows the site’s favicon, page name, and domain at the top, as well as buttons to either open in a full window or close out. It’s a tiny, easy-to-miss feature, but one that is especially handy if you want to quickly check a webpage without leaving your current page. You could use it when you want to scan the first couple of paragraphs of an article or avoid clickbait.
It seems to be Android-only feature for now. Keep in mind, on iOS, both the Safari and Edge browsers will preview a webpage when you long-press a link. This is a default feature on those browsers, too, and it doesn’t require the extra step of selecting “Preview page” from a menu.
The ability to preview pages on Chrome for Android appears to be available to everyone without having to be manually enabled.